ROME – This month, 20 June 2025, the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with various leaders from government, the private sector across Africa, the European Union and the G7 will officially launch the AI Hub for Sustainable Development – a first-of-its-kind, collaborative platform designed to accelerate AI- driven industrial growth with Africa.

Artificial Intelligence is poised to be the most transformative technology of our era, and its benefits must be accessible to all. For Africa, AI presents a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional development growth, delivering innovative and impactful solutions in healthcare, education, agriculture, finance, and governance.

No prior technology cycle has matched AI’s potential to accelerate Africa’s industrial and economic priorities, which is being catalyzed by the dynamic collaboration with Italy, the EU, and like-minded countries.

The AI Hub for Sustainable Development captures this global AI momentum, bearing a deep conviction at its core that pioneering partnerships with local innovators working across Africa will unlock life-changing impact for coming generations. Grounded in local needs and driven by participatory community insights, the AI Hub is intent on transforming collaborations with G7 and like-minded countries. This vision aligns with the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan, which embodies the aspiration Enrico Mattei (an Italian public administrator) championed for redefining partnerships in the 1950s after World War II. Today, Italy is powering an ecosystem around equal partnerships for impact to drive meaningful societal outcomes through the AI Hub.

The AI Hub for Sustainable Development was co-designed during the Italian G7 Presidency with UNDP and partners in Africa, and endorsed by the G7 Leaders in Borgo Egnazia. The work of the AI Hub tracks closely with the Italy – Africa Mattei Plan and the African Union’s AI Strategy, anchored by 14 partner countries in Africa catalyzing transformation across six key sectors. Its mission is to strengthen AI foundations with Africa’s innovators – in areas of green compute, data and talent – to drive private-sector-led growth and advance prosperity for all. Bold, context-responsive solutions are required to meet the unique needs of the African AI market. The AI Hub recognizes this importance of tailoring support models to match the realities and ambitions of African innovators.

The official launch of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development will spotlight the first wave of core initiatives aimed at accelerating AI-driven industrial development across Africa.

Senator Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy

“The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is Italy’s concrete and strategic response to the challenge of global innovation, in line with the decisions made by the Italian G7 Presidency and the Mattei Plan. With this initiative, we aim at strengthening African AI ecosystems and supporting around 500,000 local startups over the next three years by implementing tangible projects to facilitate access to computing capacity, enhance local infrastructure, and support capacity building”. 
 

Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP's Bureau for Policy and Programme Support

“The G7 Leaders' endorsement of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development, in Borgo Egnazia in 2024, demonstrated international recognition, particularly that responsible AI development is fundamental to global stability and shared prosperity. Rather than transferring technology or providing training on existing tools, the AI Hub is strengthening the essential foundations of AI development—data, compute, talent, and partnerships—to enable African innovators to create solutions that serve both local development priorities and global markets.”

Robert Opp, UNDP Chief Digital Officer and Interim Director of the AI Hub

“The AI Hub for Sustainable Development, co-designed by the Italian G7 Presidency and the United Nations Development Programme with African partners, has been transformative. It demonstrates the power of collaboration where African priorities are shaping every aspect of the AI Hub's programmes, which are designed to evolve as African AI needs change and new opportunities emerge. Our goal is building robust ecosystem where African innovators drive their own development agenda through responsible AI that benefits all.” 

Speakers: The official opening will include political and private sector leaders across G7 and Africa, with notable mentions including Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft; His Excellency Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt; Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Senator Adolfo Urso; Minister of University and Research, Italy, Senator Anna Maria Bernini; Massimo Dal Checco, President, Confindustria Anitec Assinform; Her Excellency Elissa Golberg, Ambassador of Canada to Italy; Oswald Jumira, CEO of Liquid C2, Cassava Technologies; Uljan Sharka, Founder & CEO, Domyn and others.

About MIMIT

The Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) is responsible for promoting and supporting Italian businesses and the "Made in Italy" brand. It focuses on areas such as production, economic activities, internationalization, and innovation, and aims to enhance the competitiveness of the Italian economy and its manufacturing sector.

About the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan

The Italy-Africa Mattei Plan is a EUR 5 billion initiative launched by the Italian Government to strengthen economic and political partnerships with African nations. It aims to move beyond traditional aid models and foster sustainable development through investments in key sectorsike energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and education. The plan is named after Enrico Mattei, an Italian public administrator from the 1950s who advocated for Italy to support North African governments to grow their economies and develop their natural resources.

About UNDP

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. www.undp.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

Fabio Miotti, Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, fabio.miotti@mise.gov.it.

Dwayne Carruthers, United Nations Development Programme, dwayne.carruthers@undp.org.